Positioning Statement

A positioning statement solves a fundamental marketing problem: without clarity on what makes you unique, your messaging becomes scattered, your team pulls in different directions, and customers don't understand why they should choose you. Think of it as your brand's North Star—the single truth that every marketer, salesperson, and customer-facing team member should reference before creating any message.

In traditional marketing, a positioning statement typically answers four questions: Who is your target customer? What problem do they have? What's your solution? Why are you better than alternatives? For example, a positioning statement might read: "For busy professionals who struggle to manage email overload, Superhuman is an email client that saves 3 hours per week through AI-powered shortcuts—unlike Gmail, which requires manual organization."

In the age of AI marketing, positioning statements become even more critical. When you're using AI tools to generate copy, create ads, or personalize content at scale, those tools need a clear guardrail. If your positioning statement is vague, your AI will generate vague, inconsistent messaging. If it's precise, AI becomes a force multiplier—generating hundreds of variations that all stay true to your core differentiation.

Here's how it shows up in practice: You feed your positioning statement into an AI copywriting tool, and it generates landing page headlines, email subject lines, and ad copy—all aligned with your unique value. Without it, the AI has no direction and produces generic output that could describe any competitor.

For buying AI marketing tools, your positioning statement is the first thing you should clarify internally. It determines what kind of AI you need (personalization engine vs. content generator), how you'll measure success, and whether a tool's output actually serves your strategy. A tool that's perfect for a company with a clear, differentiated position may be useless for one that hasn't defined its positioning.